Two new campaigns by Balenciaga, owned by the French luxury group Kering, ignited a firestorm following allegations that the brand condoned child exploitation. One campaign featured photos of children clutching handbags that look like teddy bears in bondage gear. Another featured photos that include paperwork about child pornography laws. In response to the media uproar, Balenciaga initiated a lawsuit against the production company North Six and Nicholas Des Jardins, who designed the set for the Garde-Robe campaign. French neo-Nazis were quick to react to the campaigns, accusing the Jews, specifically French Balenciaga CEO Cedric Charbit, of being behind them.
On November 28, a neo-Nazi website published an article inciting against one French Jewish figure linked to the Balenciaga brand. The article was reposted on a French neo-Nazi forum. Several of the forum users called for the annihilation of Jews on the ensuing thread. The report is the second part of a review of the thread’s inciting comments against Jews. To read the first part, click here.
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